Sachin's best T20 moment

Twenty-Twenty cricket has taken the cricketing fraternity by storm. The short form is not my favorite, but my special cricketing moment is from a twenty-twenty match. It was way back in 1989 and the little master announced his entry to international cricket in a memorable fashion. Though India lost that match it gave hope to so many cricket fanatics like me. During those days, one of the thoughts that came into my mind was that who will carry Indian cricket forward once Kapil and Srikanth retired. Kapil was my hero because of 83 and Srikanth because of the way he opens the innings. But that evening I had new hope and the master has lived upto my expectation and is still going strong.

Suresh Menon has written a nice article on this innings in cricinfo. Please catch that in http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/399162.html

Another article which talks about this exemplary start is in http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/145713.html

I tried to get a video of that special over but couldnt find till now. :(

Movies Movies & Movies

For sometime sadmakan has been saying to add the "recent viewing" mail details in the blog. The mails get lost and we usually miss those recommendations. So finally I decided to dig my mail and post some recommendations.

Sreekanth's Recommendation
Europa Europa (German - 1990) - About a jewish boy acting as a Nazi to Live in Germany - Nice movie. real story
Ran ( Japanese - 1985 ) - Akira Kurasova's take on King Lear. Not so slow pakshe idakkide ashan thante thani niram kanikkum. - patience required, nothing great.
A Very Long Engagement ( French - 2006 )- Really good. Needs full concentration to understand the story though. a feel good film.

Murali's Recommendation
In the valley of elah (English - 2007 )- this is highly recommended. must watch, warinte ithu vare kaanikkaathe oru aspect aanu movieyil.. i thought it was too good.

Aady's Recommendation
Little Miss SunShine ( English - 2006 )- Dont miss this movie..touching..njan karanju poyeettaa....
The Motorcycle Diaries ( Spanish - 2004) - Documentary aaki kalanju..boradichu pandaaram adangi...
Bachelor Party( English - 1984)- Dont miss....Tom hanksinde pazhaya comedy film...njerichu pulli...climax kollam aanneelum...
City of God ( Portuguese - 2002 )- 5 star movie...njerichu...
Trainspotting ( English - 1996 )- Danny Boyle inde first padam...Gud one...

So that's it for the time being. Watch & Enjoy movies. Don't forget to share your recommendations.

Dada Tata

After hearing the news of saurav's retirement I am really a happy person. :) People who know me may find it hard to believe this but please go through my article written last year before the Chinnaswamy test.

Come Saturday to Chinnaswamy and it will be Dada's 99th Test Match. One year back no one ever thought that Saurav will be crossing 6000 runs or playing 100 tests. But the way he came back to the team has been really Sauravish(inspiring). If you consider last year in Test Matches he has been India's most consistent batsman. He has also inspired the team to perform. Whenever Saurav got runs in the longer format after his comeback it has given immense joy because it reminded of those days when friends thought that he is finished but true gangulians (ganguly fans) always backed him.

During early days of first class cricket he had to come out of the shadows of his elder brother and did that very fast and became part of the 1991-92 tour down under. He got limited opportunities there and faded away. He was not as talented as his contemporaries and the media made a huge cry when he was selected in the sixteen for the 96 tour of England on the weight of runs he scored for Bengal. In the media as far I remember it was only Ravi shastri who supported his selection. There were all sorts of theories flying round on this selection. The problem, which the team had during the tour helped him make his debut along with another India great in the Lords test and the rest, is history. In the next three-four years he established himself as an opening batsman in ODI's. He contributed in ODI's more than in tests, which gave him the breakthrough.

Then came the biggest controversy, which has rocked Indian cricket in 2000. This gave an opportunity for Saurav and he embraced it with both arms. He was made captain of an young indian side. He inspired players by backing them during their hard days and got rich rewards. One of the major obstacle which team India has faced over the years was that they don't win overseas test matches. Ganguly began to change those in his days as captain. He has to be given some credit for the tests, which India won in the post Ganguly era too. He was really aggressive those days and lead from the front. He gave tit for tat replies to the opposition, which was also new from an Indian captain.

Then came the phase where he lost his form. A controversy with the coach and loss of form lead his way out of the team. Many would have retired from international cricket at that juncture. Even the best cricketer the country has seen also publicly stated that he would have resigned had he been subjected to what Ganguly has been subjected. But Ganguly being Ganguly never thought of giving up. He went back to his den in kolkata and started the revival. Bengal reached the Ranji Final that year.

There was a change in the selection panel and the new chairman was not as rigid as the old one. Last year in South Africa Saurav got a lifeline and he inspired India to win their first test in South Africa. He has scored runs in each and every test series after that. The new Ganguly has shown lot of maturity and calmness without getting involved in controversies. It would be really interesting to see when he calls his day in international cricket. I would personally prefer him to stop playing ODI's in Australia and then play test cricket for about one more year and then call it a day.

To be contd.

Great Series but...

Pre-series hype is always difficult to match, but the recently concluded series between the India and Australia definitely had everything which increases the adrenaline rush of a Test cricket fan. The quality of cricket was so good that at no point a particular team outplayed the opposition after the first test.

On the bowling front India were weak since they were not having their best fast bowlers when the series started। Once Zaheer got injured the fast bowling looked inexperienced। But Irfan and Ishant performed admirably well in the last two matches। One of the imprints this series will leave is that of young Ishant causing all sorts of problem to Ricky Ponting in Perth. That is one of the best bowling spell bowled by an Indian fast bowler which took Ricky Ponting to a different planet. It was also befitting that India persisted with Ishant and he got the wicket of the Australian captain. Check out the ghastly time which Ponting had against the Delhi speedster's nine over spell.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e4UEW3luWzY&feature=related

Saurav Ganguly was in his best batting form when he arrived in Australia. He carried that form to Sydney and in the first innings he was at his attacking best. He was scoring at will and India definitely required a big hundred from their form batsman. But for a moment Ganguly lost his concentration and gave away his wicket to brad hogg. Even though the tail waged and India got a lead against Australia, the lead was not good enough. That dismissal of Saurav came a wrong time for India and it denied India the chance of winning the series.

The Australians were not at their best and also were wary of the changes in their side. Australia used all sorts of tactics and India was late in understanding some of them. The controversial catch agreement did help Australia a lot in this series win. It was a golden chance lost for the big five to win a series down under and they will ruin this missed opportunity throughout their life.

Jumbo's Journey

If cricket fans are asked about whom they think is the biggest trier in Indian cricket then majority of answer will be one cricketer who injured his jaw and went on to get one of the best batsman of his era next day. Anil Kumble has always been a great trier and it is fitting that he got to captain the country at the fading end of his career.

During the last test of the Pakistan series when the pitch was not offering much spin to the bowlers but had uneven bounce, the thinking cricketer bowled seam up and took India to the brink of victory. It was heartening to see this for people who have followed him and find him experimenting and getting success even at this phase of his career. Even in the Boxing Day test he changed his run up and put forward some questions to the batsmen.

The way he puts prize on his wicket is not a new thing to the opposition but the hundred which he scored in Oval was fabulous. Consider the fact that it was the only century an Indian scored in that series will only increase its value. Warne will definitely envy his leg spinning counterpart’s hundred as he himself missed the milestone by a single run some years back against the kiwis.

His captaincy hasn’t been as fabulous as his bowling but he can be given some benefit of doubt because of the opposition he is facing and the resources he is having. But the way he supported his subordinate during the Sydney controversy is really commendable.

When he takes field to play at WACA in his 124th Test match he will be just 1 wicket away from 600 test wickets. It will be personal milestone for him but next week he will want his team to perform and beat everyone’s expectation in such hard times.


My Favorite Five Kumble Moments

1. His 10/74 against Pakistan (Kotla) in 1999
2. His 110 against England (Oval) in 2007
3. His 6/12 against Westindies (Eden Gardens) in 1993
4. His 52 run partnership with Srinath (Chinnaswamy) against Australia in 1996
5. 2002 Antigua Test against West Indies

Mistake that cost us the Sydney test

Before the start of the series Kumble and Ponting came to a mutual understanding on inconclusive catches. If a catch were taken, the word of the fielder who took the catch would be taken as the last word. Ponting himself showed sportsmanship on the second day when he informed that he had not taken Dravid's catch. But on the final day Michael Clark got rid of Saurav while the replays showed that it was not out. Ponting also tried to get rid of Dhoni were also it was clear that he had grassed the ball. India had fallen prey to a great tactic from the Australians. It is not a secret that Indians are not great fielders as Australians and it was not the right thing by the team management to agree on such an understanding.

The Australian media targeted Yuvraj after the first test saying that the Team Management had doubts regarding his attitude. It was a widely circulated news and the Indian team manager was late in denying this report. The damage was done before it was denied. Yuvraj's confidence was dealt a serious blow and that was there to be seen the way he fielded and batted in the match.

Now the Indian media, and Board are backing the team. But it’s too late because the team needed their backing sometime back. The money minded board didn’t give the team enough practice before the start of the first test which made us 1-0 down. They haven’t appointed a media manager who can handle matters related to the media and appraise media whenever appropriate. The Indian media didn’t back the team and published the spicy news about Yuvi so as to increase their TRP. Hope everyone learn from these mistakes and take some corrective measures for the betterment of Indian Cricket.

Get Ready For the Action to Begin

The tour down under has begun and it is the usual way in which an Indian overseas tour starts, the high profile Indian batting line up struggling in overseas condition. All the talk of the great Indian middle order is looking lame. Yes, we have the best middle order in the world even better than the Aussies but Aussies have a great opening pair who seldom exposes their middle order to the new ball. It's very difficult to understand the logic behind why only one warm up game was scheduled in such an important series. It’s hard to understand BCCI’s logic behind this.

I would have given India a 30-70 chance of doing well in the series if the boy from my town was in the team. But Sreesanth's injury has left India’s fast bowling resource look bleak. The aggressiveness that he brings in to the test team will be missed. When the chips are down he has come with important breakthroughs. R P Singh has a big role to play as a support to Zaheer. India will most probably go into the first test with 3 fast bowlers and Kumble. The third fast bowler slot is still not decided and it would be good to have Ishant sharma in the team rather than the centurion Pathan. Bhajji will come into play in the spin assisting tracks of Adelaide and Sydney later in the series.

Time only can tell whether Dravid's promotion to open the innings will fire or not. But when the post mortem of the series is done this will be a major talking point. Jaffer has been in good touch in his return to international cricket scoring two double hundreds but this time it is a different ball game. The rest of the batting effort will depend on how our openers perform. In our last tour Akash Chopra (Surprisingly chosen ahead of the then inform S Ramesh) and Sehwag got India of to good starts which helped India pile huge runs in the series. Now comes the question of the X-Factor Sehwag. Injuries and poor Jaffer form can give a way to Sehwag entering the playing eleven. It will be hard for the team management to ignore a player of his caliber. Australians would definitely not like to see him in the team and memories of the last Boxing Day test would haunt them.

To swim against the tide one should take some calculated risk. Like bringing in Sreesanth into the sixteen if he proves his fitness in the pate semifinal for Kerala next week. He will be a good addition to the team as he can be tested in the two-day practice match before the Perth test. India can also surprise Australia by gambling Sehwag in the first test can catch them off guard. It would be interesting to see what gamble the team management takes to surprise the world champions.

Coming to the Australians their inexperienced bowling attack stood up against the Lankans last month. But Lankans did not put them under lot of pressure. It would be interesting to see how they react when teams put them under pressure. It will be a toss up between Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg with India’s vulnerability against pace making Tait’s case stronger. The drop in pitch could sway the decision but that is unlikely. Hogg will come into picture in spinner friendly Adelaide and Sydney. Aussie batting looks settled and threatening with all the players in form.

The series preview excites us and hopefully it will be a cracker. A record 70000 crowd for India-Australia test match is expected in MCG on Boxing Day and Aussies public will be hoping to see some competitive cricket at last this summer. Let's wait and see how it unfolds.